The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-06-05

55knES5AAsR under-c q culated
$C--dwellings conceived
and erected in the
~extravagance of the
San Francisco
builders hopes, and
occupied finally in his despair. Intended
originally as the palace of some inchoats
California Aladdin, il usually ended as a
lodging house in which some helpless widow
or hopeless spinster managed to combine re-
spectabiity with the hard task Of bread get
ting Thatchers landlady one Of the
former class. She had unfortunately sur
vived not only her husband but his property,
and living in some deserted chamber had
after the fashion of the Italian nobility, let
out the rest of the ruin. A tendency to
dwell upon these facts gave her conversation
a peculiar significance upon the first of each
month. Thatcher had noticed this with the
sensitiveness of an impoverished gentleman
But when, few days after her dodgers sud-
den disappearance, note came from him
containing draft in noble excess Of all ar
rears and charges, the widows heart was
lifted and the rock sinitten with the golden
wand gushcd beneficence that shone in q new
gown for the widow and n new suit for "John-
N.Y. her son, n new oilcloth in the hall, better
service to the dodgers, and, let us be thank
full, a kindlier consideration for the poor little
blacl-eyed painter frc.l Monterey, then
drsadfully behind in her roorn rent. For, to
tell the truth, the calls upon Miss
De Haro's scant purse by her I'M
Gle had lately been frequent, perjury
having declined in the Monterey mar
ket through excessive and injudicious supply
until the line of demarcation between it and
absolute verify was SO finely drawn that Vic
tor Garcia hal rem lrked Tat ~he might as
well tell the truth ut once and save his soul,
since the devil was in the market"
Mistress Plodgitt, the landlady, could not
resist the desire to acquaint Carmen De Haro
with her good fGStune. "Iie was always a
friend of yours, my dear, and 1 know him to
be gentleman that would never let poor
widow suffer; and see what he says about
you'll" Here she produced Thatcher's note and
read: "Tell my little neiGhbor that 1 shall
come back soon to carry Ter and her sketching
tools Off by force, and shall not let her re-
turn until she has caught the black noun
tains and the red rocks she used to talk about,
and put the Blue Mass mill in the foreground
of the picture 1 shall order"
What is this, little onel Surely, Carmen,
thou needst not blush at this, thy first grand
offer Holy Virginl is it of necessity that
thou shoulcist stick the wrong end of thy
brush in thy mouth, and then drop it in thy
lap2 Or was it taught thee by the good Sis
tiers at the convent TO stride in that boyish
fashion to the side of thy elders and snatch
from their hands the nissive thou wouldst
read. More of this would know, U Car
men-smalest of brunettes-speak little one,
even in thine own melodious speech, that
may commend thee and thy rare discretion to
my own fair country women.
Alas, neither the present chronicler nor
Mistress Plodgitt got any further informa-
ton from the prudent Carmen and must fain
speculate upon certain facts that were already
known
Mistress Garments little room was opposite
70 Thatcher's, and once or twice, the doors
being open, Thatcher had a glimpse across the
passage of IA black haired ard a sturdy, boy
ish little figure in great blue apron, perched
ON a stool before an easel, ami on the other
hand, Carmen had often been conscious of the
fumes of a tobacco pipe penetrating her
clustered seclusion, and had seen across the
Sassage, vaguely enveIopcd in the same nico-
<ne cloud, an American Olympian, in a
rocking chair, with his feet ON the mantel
shelf They had once twice met ON the
staircase ON which occasion Thatcher had
greeted her with u word or two of respectful
yet half humorous courtesy-a courtesy
which never really offcnds true woman
although it often piQues her self-aplomb by
the slight assumption of superiority in the
humorist. a woman is quick to recognizt
the fact that the great and more dangerous
passions are always serious, and may be ex
ctlsed if in self respect she il often induced tC
try If there be not somewhere under the skin
of this laughing Mercutio the flesh and blood
of Romeo. Thatcher was by na
ture a defender and protector; weak
ness, and weakness alone, stirred tn,
depths of his tentlerness-often, / fear. only
through its half-humorous aspccts-and OF
this plane he was pleased to place women am
children. l mention this fact for the benefi
of the more youthful members of my species
and am satisfied that an unconditional sur
render and the complete laying down at tn
foot of beauty of all strong masculinity is
cheap Gallicism that is untranslatable Z
most women worthy the winning. For q
woman must always look up to the man sh.
truly loves-even il she has o go down on he
knees to do it.
Only the masculine reader viii infer from
this that Carmen was in love with Thatcher
the more critical and analytical feminine ey
will see nothing herein that might not hav
happened consistently with friendship. Fo
Thatcher was no sentimentalist; he had hardl
paid compliment to the girl-even in tn
unspoken but most delicate form of attention
There were days when his room door wa
closed; there were days days succeeding thes
blanks when he met her as frankly an
naturally as if he had seen her yesterday
Indeed, ON those days following his flight III
simple-minded Carmen. being aware-heave
knows how-that he had not opened his doc
during that period, and fearing sickness, su,
den death, or perhaps suicide, by her appea
to the llntllady. assisted unwittingly in iii
covering ms light and defection- As 81
was for q few ul1:ncnts as Indignant as Mr.
Plodgitt, it i; cvilcut that she had but lit
sympathy with the dclnquent. And b
sides, hitherto she hal known only Conch
her earliest friend, AID was true to
memory, "a a.s;.ii.-t ell Amcricanos, who
she firmly believed 70 hc his murierers
So she dis,uissed tn o.c.cr and the man fro
her mind, ard wyE- Lao; - her painting
fancy portrais OF tnc good Padre Junipe
Sierra, great missionary, who, happily for d
integrity of his bones and character, iii,
some hundred years before the America
took possession of California. The pictu
was fair but unsalable, and she began
think seriously of sign painting, which W
then much more popular and marketab
An unfinished heal of San Juan de Bautist
artificially framed in clouds, she disposed
to prominent druggist for $50, where it d
good service as exhibiting the effect Of 70